


Tick-tock

by Sophieistrash



Category: Banana Bus Squad
Genre: Explicit Language, First Kiss, Fluff, I saw this post on Tumblr and i had to write this, Kinda, M/M, Manager!Luke, Not really though, Producer!Evan, Rapper AU, Rapper!Jonathan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-07
Updated: 2018-06-07
Packaged: 2019-05-19 11:58:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14873348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sophieistrash/pseuds/Sophieistrash
Summary: In which Jonathan is a fledgeling rapper who likes to keep his identity low. But when he signs a contract with his new producer (Evan) things change drastically.





	Tick-tock

**Author's Note:**

> So I saw this lovely post on Tumblr by @thegamingonion  
> H2OVanoss Au: Where Delirious is a Rap artist and Vanoss becomes his music producer. 
> 
> And I had to write it.  
> Enjoy :)  
> -Soph x

There are not many things worse than picking up the sound of the clock when you are supposed to be working. Being aware of your own blinking or breathing, both may be similar but this-tick-tock, tick-tock- devastating. Or at least that's what Evan thought. 

Every time he sat at his desk inside of his tiny office without motivation and inspiration, he had to acknowledge the fact that making music wasn't easy. Not at all. Not in a gray and mediocre room like this in which even the curtains were a shade of black.

Although, Evan was only a record producer, he loved to co-write and make beats himself for the bands he dealt with. So on this Friday afternoon when we lay our scene, he was bored. He had no clients to take care of but working hours were still valid even in a profession like his.

He looked up from his laptop -tick-tock, tick-tock- two hours to go. He sighed, rubbing his eyes with more force than needed, then plugged his headphones back in.

Two loud knocks interrupted his "productivity", followed by muffled voices. He couldn't make out what they were saying, or if he knew the people that they belonged to.

"Come in." He said, clearing his throat beforehand.

A faint line of light shone through the creek of the door, then a man with a graceful beard peaked in.

"Are you sure?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, holding the door so it wouldn't open further more. "I could not quite make an appointment with you, sir. Your assistant let us in, said it was okay. We certainly do not want to disturb you, Mr. Fong."

Evan smiled at that. Mr. Fong? That's new. Everyone whom he's ever worked with called him by his first name, or simply 'sir' during their first meeting. He wasn't complaining though. He was well-known in the music industry after all.

"Yes, you are not bothering me or anything. Sir." Professionalism at its finest.

"Good." The man grinned back, stepping in whilst pulling someone inside with him.

Evan immediately stood up, ready to shake hands with the man -who happened to be wearing a suit, so he must be somebody important...- Not like Evan was underdressed or anything, just more of a business casual type of guy.- But "suit guy" wasn't planning on an intruduction just yet as it seemed. He pushed his companion, who was hiding behind him the whole time, forward, then finally extended his arm towards the producer.

"I'm Luke Patterson, manager of"  
-He motioned towards the slightly shorter male next to him- "Delirious. Nice to meet you, sir."

"Evan Fong, and likewise." 

Luke’s handsake was firm and showed authority, besides he could hold eye-contact like a champion. On the other hand, Delirious' grip was light as a feather, like he was trying to hold a puppy's paw, not giving a handsake. However, when his eyes met Evan's it tightened.

Light sky blue eyes stared right into mocha ones. Tiny freckles decorated the presumptive musician's cheeks, black studs shining from both of his ears.

Luke must've thought that it was time for them to let go, he cleared his throat, reminding them that he was still there. 

They retreated at the same time, eyes going separate directions.

" Right. Can we borrow 10 minutes of your time, please?"

Evan nodded, sitting back down to his desk and motioned for the two to do the same. 

Luke turned towards his client with a questioning look and nudged him. Delirious didn't seem to get the idea and just stared at him blankly until his manager broke the silence instead.

"You see, Jonathan here is an fledgeling rapper." Luke started slowly his eyes landing on Delirious as he spoke. "And we would like to have a progression in his career by making an album and probably music videos as well in the near future. The only thing that's missing from the master plan is a producer."

"And that's when I come in handy." Evan remarked and glanced at Delirious in anticipation.

"Exactly." Luke agreed with a hum, whilst directing a subtle kick at Jonathan’s ankle in attempt to make him finally lift his gaze off of his lap.

"Alright. Show me what you got then we can talk business."

This unusual statement from Evan astonished both men. They were expecting a long speech about a contract, or how their request cannot be fulfilled without a real appointment and meeting. But no, the manager was not even surprised by their unexpected arrival as it seemed.

"L-like here?" Jonathan spoke up with a scowl that he was desperately trying to remove from his face.

The corners of Evan’s mouth turned upwards, pearly whites flashing at the other man. However, Luke wasn't smiling, more like seconds away from smacking the rapper hard.  
Evan ignored the reddening face of the manager and addressed his words to Jonathan only, and only him, in a soft tone.

"Of course not. In my studio. It's down the hallway actually."

"Oh okay. That's- that’s doable. I mean better, yeah. Uh-"

Luke’s had enough of this and practically jumped up from his seat with the clap of his hands. "Let's go then, shall we?"

~  
Evan's been skeptical about Jonathan’s rapping skills the minute he'd walked through the door. The producer wasn't an entrant anymore; he could read people like a book. Hunched-up shoulders, gaze on the ground didn't quite scream confidence, did it? And a rapper, who was going to have to stand on a stage at some point, could not afford to lack that skill.  
Not to mention his stutter and the way he slured his words.

In any way soever, Evan gave Delirious a chance. Beginners have proven him wrong before, so why not?

The studio was way more lively than Evan's office. Even though the walls were black, golden stripes ran through the dark surface, tracing the different picture frames hung up, and the door frame in the control room that led to the vocal booth. 

After turning on all of the neccesary lights, Evan guided Delirious into the aforementioned booth, turning on his microphone and gave him instructions. He made sure the rapper understood when to start, then exited the room to take care of the pendrive that Luke held out for him.

As soon as the record producer found the file he was looking for, he pressed play and held a thumb up to Jonathan. The blue-eyed boy's head started bobbing up and down to the rhythm of the familar beat he'd created earlier that month. He took a deep breath, fixed his headphones and let the music slowly consume him. 

Then he opened his mouth.

Evan's jaws dropped. 

The shy looking boy spat the words fast and clear, perfectly in sync with the drums of the melody. Polysyllabic words perfectly articulated, never misspoken, small hand gestures emphasising the depth of the lyrics. 

Evan was smitten.

Luke watched with crossed arms and a smirk how the producer's mouth opened further and further as the second verse came. Jonathan was fluent. He was only one small step away from being exquisite -he kept staring at a wall, not rapping to his audience.

~

A contract was signed within an hour of Luke and Jonathan’s visit. Evan saw clear potential in the rapper now, he knew he had to take him under his wings. 

Everything went smoothly. The mysterious Delirious had a record deal, a work in progress album and an animated music video. He kept gaining fans as the days passed, his fanbase being around three hundred thousand people by the end of the second month of his career. The three men got along even better than any of them had suspected, some might even say they became close friends.

You might be wondering why I said mysterious. Well, he was a musician who decided to hide his identity. All of his social media consisted of fanart, his logo, snippets of songs, and acknowledgement of his constant audience.

Evan had no problem with his choice, although, he warned him about this being a risk factor in his future. And of course as always, Evan was right.

"Hey Evan!" Jonathan chirped, flopping down onto the oh-so-familiar chair in the producer's office. "What's up? Why am I here?"

The puzzled look an Evan's face froze Jonathan’s smile and awoken deep concern in him. The producer seemed stiff. He kept fidgeting with his hands, tapping away on the tabletop avoiding eye-contact.

"Is everything a-okay?" 

Evan finally sent him a faint smile and met his eyes.

"Yeah. We're just waiting for Luke." The tone was stoic but the man it belonged to wasn't.

The smaller boy batted his lashes a few times and mouthed a 'huh', sensing that something was clearly up. Luke wasn't always needed when they recorded with Evan, and even when he was, friendly chatter filled in the silence every time until he arrived and the work started.

The giant golden clock was so loud. Jonathan haven't noticed this before but now it made his head ache. 

Tick-tock, tick-tock, shut the fuck up. He thought glaring at the hated object.

"So, how was your journey here?" Evan asked folding a post it note into two, not looking at his companion.

"Fine, I guess. I had some business to take care of nearby so I just walked here. Managed to avoid rush hours, you know." 

"That's good. Luke must be stuck in a traffic jam." The brown-eyed boy hummed, still messing with a piece of paper.

Jonathan let out a quiet sigh and shook his head disapprovingly. He hated small talk. 

Speak of the devil, Luke leapt through the door a minute later and apologised for the wait, putting the blame on his car and the inhabitants of LA.

"I think it's time for me to reveal why you are here." Evan spoke up intertwining his fingers in mock confidence. "What I'm going to tell you is not pleasant. You certainly won't like it Jonathan."

The adressed man stirred a little in his chair and shared a glance with his manager. Luke eventually nodded to let Evan know he could continue. 

"The label is being pushy and impatient. They are expecting you to perform as soon as possible, preferably in a minor venue at first." Evan hesitated for a moment, since Jonathan’s face drastically fell and Luke looked uncomfortable as well. "I tried to talk them out of it but they didn't listen, and gave me the" honor" to tell you."

After collecting himself, Luke grabbed Jonathan’s arm and tugged to make him stand. "Right, we need a moment to discuss this."

However, Jonathan didn't oblige. He sat still and sent a death-glare to his manager then one to Evan too so he wouldn't feel left out. 

"No. We don't." He stated and crossed his arms over his chest.

Evan knitted his eyebrows as Luke just stared, both men speechless.

"I'm not doing it. I-I can't."

The oldest of the three with the majestic beard felt his inner professional kick in and he put a firm hand on his client's shoulder. 

"I think it's the best if we talk about this, just the two of us first." He offered unanimously.

"No." 

Evan's eyes never left the rapper. He was still a closed book to him, that he didn't understand properly. He tried, he really did, to find another way to approach the issue. Despite the fact that Delirious seemed like someone who'd be a nervous wreck in a situation like this, he still managed to somewhat keep his composure.

"Evan's a f-friend as well. He-he's in this as deep as we are."

Luke saw there was no way of convincing Jonathan. He gave up, sat back down and waited for Evan to add something else to this mess.

Then again, Evan zoned out. Jonathan’s words suprised him almost as much as his rapping skills did back during their first meeting. Delirious saw him as a friend not just a colleauge. He let him in and didn't want to discuss the issue privately with his manager, even though Luke was like a brother to him.

"Evan, what... What else can we do?" Jonathan was seemingly hopeful.

"We... No actually, you. You can perform."

Luke facepalmed hard. Evan was supposed to be the genious amongst them but this deadpan was plain stupid in the manager's mind.

"No." Evan's never been denied faster.

"No, listen. You know that there are musicians out there apart from you who haven't revealed their faces jet. Like Marshmello and Alan Walker."

Jonathan nodded slowly, Luke only folded his arms.

"They wear masks whenever they perform. Well technically, Walker wears a bandana and a hood but you get the idea."

"I don't like where this is going." Luke murmured and looked out the window.

"Anyway, you could do that as well. Wear sunglasses onstage, a hat a bandana, anything that can hide your features."

"Fine."

"Fine?" The producer and the manager gasped in unison. Neither of them belived they were sane anymore.

"Yeah, but I want a hockey mask."

"No."

"No?" Jonathan challenged and squinted his eyes at Evan, who shook his head. "No deal then."

"Your mouth cannot be covered. A mask would muffle your words and the quality of your performance wouldn't be good."

"Like at all." Luke added agreeing.

"A bandana with a hockey mask?" Evan suggested with pleading eyes.

"Maybe."

~  
" I can't do this." 

Jonathan paced around his dressing-room and ripped his hat, which had a hockey mask ironed on it, off his head along with his sunglasses. His superiors persuaded him to agree to his first concert and now he was seconds away from a panick attack.

Luke regretted his existence the minute he stepped over the threshold and saw his friend so nervous. There was no way of calming him down, not in a situation like this.

"You can."

"Shut up." 

"You shut up." Luke scoffed and stood in front of his friend to stop him from taking more steps. 

"Do y-you want a scrap?" Jonathan threatened then stepped back to lean against a wall.

"I might do." Luke smirked and glanced at his phone screen. "Fifteen minutes until you're up."

"This is not helping!" Delirious threw his hands up in the air in frustration and scratched the wall behind him. 

"Fine, then I'll go get your boyfriend." Luke shrugged and left the room before Jon could question him and curse at him.

There had to be a clock in the room which annoyed Jonathan even more. He wanted to snatch it off of the wall but it was too high up. So he started rhyming instead out of instinct.

"Tick-tock, fuck off, stupid clock get lost. I don't like you, wanna strike you-"

"Hey Jon." Evan slipped into the room and closed the door behind him quietly. "Doing vocal warm-ups?"

"Not really." The rapper admitted as blood rushed to his cheeks. He felt like a child who got caught red handed in his own personal dressing-room.

"That's fine, you won't sing so speaking's enough." Evan dismissed ans sat down on the tiddley sofa of the room.

"Why are you here?" Jonathan inquired back pressed firmly against the wall.

"To check up on you. Obviously." Evan smiled eyeing his friend (client). "And you don't look so calm."

"No shit." Jonathan rolled his eyes then closed them for a few seconds as he scrunched up his nose. "Fuck this clock is ear-splittingly loud!"

He didn't have to say anything else, Evan was up and reached for the clock, which was conveniently above Jonathan's head.-No wonder why it was so loud.- He took it off the wall and got rid off its batteries before hanging it back up.

"Better?" The producer asked clearly invading Jonathan’s personal space.

"Yeah. T-thanks." He shuddered and made the mistake of looking into Evan's eyes.

Their face were inches apart. Neither could see anything else other than one another's eyes, noses, lips...

But then, before Jonathan could do the unexpected, Evan hugged him. He wrapped his strong arms around his back closely and burried his face into his neck.

"You'll be great out there. I know it."

This completely warmed up Jonathan’s heart as he finally reciprocated the hug.

"Thank you. For.. For everything really." He managed to get out when they finally let go.

"Don't mention it. You are the one who's amaz-"

"Two minutes!" Someone from the crew shouted from outside the door interrupting Evan.

Jonathan stiffened the stage fright creeping back into his body.

"No. I-I can't... No."

"Jonathan, look at me." Evan commanded in a soft tone and cupped his cheek so they were eye-to-eye. "You can do it. I believed in you since day one. Go out there and do exactly what you do in the studio. Close your eyes if you need to. Imaging being in the vocal booth, rapping for Luke. Rapping for me."

Jonathan nodded after each sentence but his trembling lip gave him away.

So Evan did the first thing that came to his mind.

He pressed his lips gently against his for a brief second then let go.

"I'll be out there. You'll be the best tonight and you know it!"

"Promise?"

"Always."

Jonathan beamed from happiness as he pulled Evan back into a slower more passionate kiss this time, both hands around the producer's neck.

"Thank you." He giggled, throwing the door open after putting his 'camouflage' back on. "But Evan." He turned back around. "This wasn't just because of the heat of the moment, right?"

"Not at all."

"Good." 

Jonathan smirked and had the best time onstage with the kiss still fresh on his mind throughout the whole night.


End file.
